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As I wrestle with the idea of righteousness by faith or works, the idea that the Jew understood they were saved by faith never crossed my mind.  I always wondered how they could think they could keep all of the commandments made by God.  After a discussion in seminary, I realize that I was ignorant. It is not like people started thinking in the twentieth century. Throughout history, Adam, Noah, Abraham, and David could not possibly keep all the commands.  The first three didn’t even know the law.  Faith has always saved us. Works are an expression of our faith.  The law helps us realize what sin is (Romans 3:20).   It is how we show we are different. We have put our faith in someone higher than ourselves.

To make this comparison, we must compare the Jewish society to the Church society of today.  In the church there is pressure to act a certain way.  We are expected to be like Jesus. Some of us are like the Pharisees; we tend to have an outward show of faith, but on the inside we are empty. We have put our faith in faith (This idea is not original with me; I have heard it from multiple sources).  We want to fit in with the religious crowd; it is who we are instead of who Christ is in us. If Christ is the focus of our faith, works will follow.  Are we I-focused or are we Christ-focused? I believe that is what Paul is trying to get across.  Down through history people have either been focused on God, or themselves. If the law is the focus, then what we do is our focus, not what Christ did for us. It doesn’t matter if you were raised in Israel or North Omaha.  We all are saved through faith.  Works must be a byproduct of our faith not the means to the faith.

Why didn’t God give the law earlier to save people from wrath?  The Law has always been there and will always be there.  God’s standard has never changed since the beginning.  I believe giving Moses the law helped save the people from His wrath by allowing them to focus on what sin is. It gave them a clear picture of what God expected. At different phases along the way, He revealed a little more about who God was.  Throughout history from Adam to Jesus, to today and everything in between, His revelation has given us a blueprint on how to live, show our faith, and set our lives apart from others for His glory. By giving the law to Moses, it gave the people a reference point to live their life by.  Can you imagine people asking Abraham why he acts the way he does?  The only answer he could give is God had told him to do it that way.  Life would have been so much easier for him if he had the word to show those seeking to know the truth. We are blessed to have the word of God at our fingertips. We can back our faith with scripture and actions.